Notes / Commercial Description:
Brewed with the Saison and farmhouse ales of Belgium in mind, we added fresh Georgia peaches and Brettanomyces claussenii to a fresh white wine barrel and aged the Saison base for 9 months. Stretching the boundaries of the traditional style, we decided to put our own little spin on it.

User Reviews

Pale, transparent straw color. White head with weak retention and just a few lace spots. Citric, floral, spicy, medicinal and white wine aroma. Palate of semi sweet white wine with a slight touch of peach, mild acidity and funk. Finishes with a delicate mint character. Moderate body, high carbonation. Dry finish and somewhat oily texture. Very good brew. Would be improved with more fresh fruit and less wine flavor in my opinion.

A: This poured a clear straw with quickly dissipating white head.
S: It smelled like tart white wine vinegar, with some funky oak and sour apple and a hint of sweet peach.
T: It tasted like tart vinegar and metallic minerals, with some sour apple and funky oak and unripe apricot. It had a clean, lasting sour aftertaste.
M: It was thin and very carbonated like champagne. Nice bubbly body.
D: This was a nice sour, but the scent and taste didn't have as much peach or complexity as I hoped. The body was fitting, but the finish was a little harsh, so it was better to sip. A fine brew, but not top tier for the style, and ultimately forgettable.

Taste is excellent as well. The white wine really shines and the peaches are a nice complement, though I dont think I would be able to pick them out blind. Sour level is about 6.5, maybe 7/10 The brett leave a bit of an odd finish that is a little distracting, but a minor complaint. Id drink this again for sure, but dont think Id want to drop 20+ bucks on a bottle.

Pours a pale golden straw color, very thin ring of foam lace at the crown with a persistent champagne carbonation. Aroma has the typical GI "sisters" lacto-yeast funk uptop, with undernotes of grape must & oak. I was dissapointed with lack of discernible peach considering that's one of the main ingredients.

You can pick that note up a little better on the tongue, but it is still rather faint. Lots of tart yeast upfront, with more of the oak / wine flavors with that dabble of peach & dry champagne yeast. The tart fades quickly & it finishes semi-dry, which I prefer versus some enamel destroying sour bombardment. It does it's just and doesnt overstay its welcome (unlike in Lolita). The supporting flavors aren't mind-blowing but it melds nicely & is a very drinkable, refreshing sour. It has a vigorous carbonation & tongue tingling throughout.

First had poured from 25.87-oz. bomber, label stamped bottled on "02FEB16," into tulip. This newly-released Halia, fermented with peaches in wine barrels, drinks somewhat like an excellent dry Vermont cider. It will be interesting to see if cellaring adds complexity.

T: Tastes like soft vinegar, apple, honey, spices, and a very little bit of hay

M: Very light, crisp, smooth, it tingles on the tongue but yet feels low on carbonation.

O: It is amazing, excellent Belgian wild ale. It has such a soft silky feel and it envelops your tongue in honey and sourness. The peach comes more across as apricot but it is perfect. I wish I would have bought the rest even at $30 a bottle.

Cloudy pale gold with a two finger white head which fades quickly, leaving a small collar of foam. The aroma has tart peaches, Brett, oak, and tannin's.

Tastes like it smells. More tart than sweet, but not overly tart. Does not have as much of the peppery taste or funk as some of the best Saisons. The tart peaches overpower everything else. Neutral wine barrels were used, and it shows. There is not the taste of any one specific type of wine.

Medium bodied with higher than average carbonation. A good, but not great Saison.

Appearance: Pours a bright golden orange with a lot of rising bubbles. Slight finger of white head that settles into a thin patchy layer.

Smell: A tart, fruity, and spicy Belgian style aroma with a scent of brett, fruit, and wine. Belgian yeast with a scent of peppers, clove, and farmhouse funk. Big scent of wild brett lacto yeast. Wine barrel hints of tannins, white grapes, and oak. Good scent of peaches along with other fruit hints of green apple, apricot, orange, pear, and lemon. Malt hints of cracker and straw. A very nice wine like aroma.

Taste: Like it smells, a tart, fruity, and spicy Belgian farmhouse style taste with notes of brett, fruit, and wine. Belgian yeast with notes of peppers, clove, and farmhouse funk. Big presence of wild brett yeast with some good funk. Good white wine barrel presence with notes of white grapes, oak, and tannins. Lots of fruit notes with some peaches, green apple, pear, orange, apricot, and lemon. Malt notes of straw, grains, and cracker. A very good tart and fruity taste.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a fairly high level of carbonation. Tart and juicy with a drying finish.

Overall: A very good spin on a Belgian style Saison. Good blend of yeast, spices, fruit, and wine barrel notes. Pricey but very well done.

Overall- Nice balance between fruity tartness and funk, while still allowing some of the saison qualities to come through. Beer has a good amount of fruit sweetness as well, definetly get a lot of the peaches. Spice, oak, saison yeast give the beer a dryer finish despite the tartness and sweetness up front. Enjoyable and different.

Found this beer on the vintage menu at Goose Island - Clybourn. Didn't but the 750ml bottle priced at $40 at the BrewPub.

Conveniently found this beer a local grocery store later for $24.99, I was sold after that. Chilled this beer to a bit below cellar temperature and poured into a Wide Mouth Pint and the rest into a Tulip glass.

S - The smell was awesome, a bunch of spicy and peppery tones coming through with this beer. Getting small amount of the peaches, wish it had a bit more. Some wine-y undertones as well. Very crisp and refreshing scent with this beer.

T - Not what the smell was giving me and surprisingly less sour than I was expecting as well. But by all means not a let down, just different. The tartness was very nice and easily tolerated by those whom may not enjoy sour / tarts or just getting into them.

F - Mouth feel with the Halia was pleasant. The carbonation was a little stronger than I would have liked, but I think it brought out some of the peach tones (which was more subtle than I expected), but it works. The carbonation lightens this beer and makes it very pleasant and easy to drink.

O - I enjoyed this beer a lot, expected a little bit different, but wasn't a disappointment by any means. Knocks on this come from the overly steep price point set by Goose Island, but the beer itself I highly recommend trying. Won't be a regular for me simply because of the price, but again a very pleasant, funky and fun beer.

(Mouthfeel) Texture is smooth, slick, silky, medium dry. Carbonation is moderate, generating a medium frothiness and a moderately crisp finish. Body is medium for the style, shy of medium overall. Balance is nearly even tangy and acidic to sweet. Alcohol presence is light and there are no off characters. 3.75

(Overall) A tasty saison offering, but surprisingly not nearly at the caliber of their more readily available Belgian saisons, like Sofie. Decently balanced and the fruit is certainly there but there are really very few high points that distinguish the peach and white wine characters out from the spicy and peppery qualities of the saison yeast. Enjoyable overall but arguably not worth the hefty price. This would be a more reasonable buy and worth a sampling if put into 12 oz. bottled 4 packs like Sofie. 3.75

On tap:
Pours a light golden with some chill haze that, once dealt with reveals maybe only a light haze. White lacing remains from the fluffy white head that doesn't last too long.

Nose reveals all about the beer that I read: Brett, light note of peaches, barnyard funk.

A lightly tart and (psychology in effect) "fuzzy" opening. The light tickling carbonation expands the peach note, but a slight lean of a lemon spritz is also I there. Farmhouse notes come next, with a crisp white wine impression, then a little barrel (or farmhouse floor) effect.

A nice funky farmhouse that is just a little too fruity for my tastes. Not that it's syrupy or anything, just wonder what it'd be like with the peaches.

A: Pours a golden straw yellow color with a fingers worth of head that surprisingly sticks around for a good while

S: Lots of Brett C. and farmhouse funk up front along with a hint of peaches and oak. A light tannic note from the white wine barrels comes through as well. Fruity notes behind the peaches pop in and out as well

T: Follows the nose. Starts off with a light spritzy bit of tart funk and quickly transitions into the peaches, oak, and vinous white wine notes. Fruitiness pops up after the oak fades a little. Tannins quickly dry things out and let the sweetness of the peaches shine a bit more. Finishes with lingering oak and peach notes

O: A very refreshing saison that is quite peach and barrel forward. Brett adds a very light funk and farmhouse note while the barrel really helps integrate subtle oaky and vinous white wine flavors while allowing the peaches to macerate. Great summer sipper

Poured from tap into sniffer, light half finger creamy head recedes to a rim along the glass, nice lacing. Clear light golden to look at, nice carbonation. This is a beast of a peach beer. I am somewhat congested and it still comes thru, not picking up any brett characteristic on the nose. Taste is tart on the start with the peaches taking over. Finishes with a dry tart finish. Nice acidity, this is a great beer wish the price point was so high.

Pour: On draft at Smoke and Barrel in D.C. Poured into a snifter. Appearance: The brew is very clear and light golden straw in color. Lots of effervescent bubbles. Big thick white head which reduces as the brew settles. Lots of lacing present. Aroma: Funky and earthy. Brett notes. Has some very tannic qualities due to wine barrel aging. Lists peaches but cant detect much on the sniff...more citrus-like. Taste: Very tart with lots of wild yeast/ Brett notes. It could be more tart but the peach, which shows up on the sip, really does a nice job of mellowing it out. Aftertaste: Balance with some tart funkiness and mellow peach on the back end. Overall: Pretty standard but likable. Really enjoyed how the peach mellows and balances the tart funkiness. Very Good: 4 out of 5.

The beer pours a nice creamy head that dissipates moderately and leaves a nice clear pale gold that borders on a nice straw yellow. The look is pretty nice and pretty appealing.

The smell is very nice and great for a brett saison. The smell has a nice mild tarty funk note that works well among the traditional saison notes. It has the earthy citrus hop notes and the slightly bready yeast notes making the backbone of the smell. The smell also has a nice peach tart to it.

The taste is very good and a bit different than the smell. The taste has the same tart notes but are a bit stronger than in the smell to the point where it slightly overwhelms the traditional saison notes.

The feel is nice and crisp with a dry finish. The biting carbonation provides that nice crisp feel while making the body a bit to the light side of medium bodied.

Overall, this a very good saison with brett in it. It's a unique saison with a tart and funk that doesn't challenge the drinker too much but enough to satisfy someone who enjoy a bit of tarty funk. Go for it.

Straw yellow in color with a very hazy complexion. There's just a trace of eggshell white on top. The aroma is of sweet peaches and tart Brett. The taste is sweet and slightly overripe peaches with tart Brett playing a background note. The mouth is highly carbonated and delicate.

Was hoping for more sour peach but fell a bit short. Smell was really good and the taste was adaquite. Tart but not sour. Some nice funk and finished clean. Would have again but the price is a bit steep. Would seek out others but glad I got to try it.